Trent Richardson joined the Colts for practice Thursday and is expected to see action against the 49ers on Sunday.

Trent Richardson joined the Colts for practice Thursday and is expected to see action against the 49ers on Sunday.

Photo: Michael Conroy, Associated Press

Image 2 of 5

Trent Richardson will be another weapon for the Colts when they meet the 49ers.

Trent Richardson will be another weapon for the Colts when they meet the 49ers.

Photo: Michael Conroy, Associated Press

Image 3 of 5

FILE: Trent Richardson The Cleveland Browns former first-round pick has been traded to the Indianapolis Colts for a first-round pick. CINCINNATI, OH - SEPTEMBER 16: Trent Richardson #33 of the Cleveland Browns runs with the ball against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium on September 16, 2012 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) less

FILE: Trent Richardson The Cleveland Browns former first-round pick has been traded to the Indianapolis Colts for a first-round pick. CINCINNATI, OH - SEPTEMBER 16: Trent Richardson #33 of the Cleveland Browns ... more

Photo: Jamie Sabau, Getty Images

Image 4 of 5

Indianapolis Colts running back Trent Richardson stretches before his first practice with the NFL football team in Indianapolis, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2013, after being traded by the Cleveland Browns to the Colts. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) less

Indianapolis Colts running back Trent Richardson stretches before his first practice with the NFL football team in Indianapolis, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2013, after being traded by the Cleveland Browns to the ... more

Photo: Michael Conroy, Associated Press

Image 5 of 5

Richardson could boost Colts against 49ers

1 / 5

Back to Gallery

Asked to highlight notable aspects of the Colts' offense that didn't involve quarterback Andrew Luck, 49ers linebacker NaVorro Bowman was at a bit of a loss Wednesday.

"It's really just No. 12, man," Bowman said. "I feel like they feed off of him and he runs pretty much every phase."

A few hours after Bowman's analysis, Indianapolis added a potentially dynamic second dimension: running back Trent Richardson.

The Colts surrendered a coveted first-round pick to acquire Richardson, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2012 draft who is expected to play plenty when Indianapolis meets the 49ers at Candlestick Park on Sunday.

On Thursday, Colts head coach Chuck Pagano, who termed his 5-foot-9, 228-pound back a "rolling ball of butcher knives," said he would like to see an immediate return on the franchise's investment. Pagano said Richardson would be given as much work "as he can handle."

"We did not bring him in here to, I guess, be the water boy on Sunday," Pagano said. "He'll be ready to roll."

The 49ers learned of the acquisition during their practice Wednesday afternoon, and an assistant quickly compiled a video of Richardson's runs. San Francisco's defense studied the video Thursday morning, and inside linebacker Patrick Willis came away impressed.

For his part, rookie safety Eric Reid didn't need an introduction to Richardson's bruising style. At LSU, Reid squared off with Richardson, then at Alabama, twice in 2011. Richardson had 276 total yards and a touchdown in those games.

Reid said it's wise to gang-tackle the 2011 Doak Walker Award winner.

"I don't think (Richardson) necessarily changes (our) game plan," Reid said. "You just know that it might take a bit more oomph to get him on the ground."

Despite his pedigree, Richardson has a middling yards-per-carry average (3.5) in 17 career games. This season, he rushed for 105 yards on 31 carries in his first two games with the Browns. As a rookie, he rushed for 950 yards, averaged 3.6 yards a carry and set a franchise rookie record with 11 touchdowns.

In Indianapolis, he figures to benefit from pairing with Luck, the No. 1 overall pick in 2012 who set an NFL rookie record with 4,374 passing yards. With the Browns, Richardson was surrounded by a less-than-stellar supporting cast: Quarterback Brandon Weeden ranked 29th in the NFL in passer rating in Cleveland's 5-11 2012 season.

Niners defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said it wouldn't surprise him if Richardson plays as many as 90 percent of the Colts' offensive snaps. Fangio believes Richardson will be familiar with the Colts' pass-protection schemes, many of which mirror those he learned in Cleveland.

The reason: Indianapolis offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton has been influenced by Cleveland offensive coordinator Norv Turner after they were assistants together with the 49ers in 2006.

Fangio doesn't expect the Colts to unveil a dramatically different offense Sunday. But he does anticipate seeing a bit more of their ground game after Luck ranked fifth in the NFL in passing attempts last year.

"They just may hand it off more than they have been," Fangio said. "They got a great running back to give it to. It's even more reason for them to have balance in their offense, which I think they're striving to do anyway. So, it just gives them an upgrade at running back, and we're going to see him."

Career stats

Trent Richardson, drafted third overall by the Browns in 2012, played 17 games in Cleveland before being traded to Indianapolis on Wednesday:

RUSHING

RECEIVING

Car

Yds

Avg

TD

Rec

Yds

Avg

TD

298

1,055

3.5

11

58

418

7.2

1

Running starts

Four days after being acquired from the Browns, Colts running back Trent Richardson is expected to see significant playing time Sunday against the 49ers. Here's a look at how two other notable running backs fared in their debuts with their new teams after being traded during the season:

Eric Dickerson

Dickerson was traded from the Rams to the Colts on Oct. 30, 1987, and played his first game with Indianapolis two days later. He rushed for 38 yards on 10 carries and added a 28-yard reception in a 19-14 win against the Jets.

Herschel Walker

Walker was traded from the Cowboys to the Vikings on Oct. 12, 1989, and played his first game with Minnesota three days later. Walker had 144 yards on 18 carries in a 26-14 win against the Packers.